MLS awards: Pozuelo, Rossi battle for MVP as finalists unveiled

The battle for Major League Soccer's top awards became clearer Wednesday as the league unveiled the finalists for various season honors.

MLS stars Andre Blake, Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Alejandro Pozuelo, and Diego Rossi comprise the list of finalists for the Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player Award.

Blake and Rossi are also up for the Goalkeeper of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.

The winners will be announced in the coming weeks.

Here are the finalists for each of the league's top awards:

Most Valuable Player

• Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
• Nicolas Lodeiro (Seattle Sounders)
• Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
• Alejandro Pozuelo (Toronto FC)
• Diego Rossi (LAFC)

Defender of the Year

• Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union)
• Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew)
• Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

Goalkeeper of the Year

• Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
• Eloy Room (Columbus Crew)
• Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Newcomer of the Year

The league defines a newcomer as a player "with previous professional experience who made his MLS debut in 2020."

• Robert Beric (Chicago Fire)
• Alan Pulido (Sporting Kansas City)
• Lucas Zelarayan (Columbus Crew)

Rookie of the Year

• Brenden Aaronson (Philadelphia Union)
• Daryl Dike (Orland City SC)
• Diego Rossi (LAFC)

Coach of the Year

• Jim Curtin (Philadelphia Union)
• Oscar Pareja (Orland City SC)
• Greg Vanney (Toronto FC)

Comeback Player of the Year

• Kevin Molino (Minnesota United)
• Milton Valenzuela (Columbus Crew)
• Bradley Wright-Phillips (LAFC)

A complete list including nominees for the league's other awards is available here.